Over The Line - A high concept / low budget / multi-media / psychological rock opera about ideology, indoctrination, unwritten rules, and inner transformation; returns for a second engagement at Spontaneous Celebrations in Jamaica Plain, Saturday, June 2, 2012.

Jamaica Plain musician/activist Brian O'Connell presents for the second time his original rock opera, Over The Line, at Spontaneous Celebrations on Saturday, June 2, 2012, 6:00 & 9:00pm, $10.

After two successful debut shows on February 4, Over The Line, a high concept / low budget / multimedia / psychological rock opera about ideology, indoctrination, unwritten rules, and inner transformation written and directed by Brian O'Connell (known for his kinetic bass playing with Uncle Sammy, Gordon Stone, The Grass Gypsys, Gary Backstrom, and many others) returns to Spontaneous Celebrations in Jamaica Plain on June 2.

Over The Line is a rock song cycle set in a theatrical setting complete with larger than life sized puppet actors, theatrical narrative interludes, and a 10-piece band with 8 singers (4 women / 4 men). The band is comprised of the full lineup of The Grass Gypsys, which includes Justin & Colleen Kleya, Kevin Silvia, Sam Ward, Brian O'Connell; plus Kat Arrants Pettrucci & Kara Pettrucci of Brief Awakening, Dave Scandurra of The Excited People, Brian's wife Jenna O'Connell, and Joel Ockenheim of the Choir of Universal Sound. Abstract puppets and masks worn by the actors provided by The Boston Puppeteers Cooperative. The performance is in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston at Spontaneous Celebrations, a grassroots community center that organizes local creative arts programs and festivals.

"We had so much fun presenting Over The Line at the first show in February, plus the audience response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. What at hoot! The only proper thing to do at this point is to play this show again and invite more weird people to come experience this very strange little piece of local DIY archetypal hippie rock theatre."

After the performance of Over The Line the band will play an additional set of original music for a second half dance party segment of the show!

A Cash Bar and Activist Information Tabling area will also be available.

In the hip, diverse, and gentrifying Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain lives a young man named Sleepy Doormat. He's independent, artistic, well educated, and liberal. He understands that the status quo is wrong, unjust, and that it only favors those in power. But he has never really questioned it on a deep level. He believes that things are just the way they are and one person cannot really change anything. While Sleepy may be "free" he is still tied by the ideological constrictions that have been imposed on him since youth. He has been indoctrinated by the institutions of school, church, and community opinion.

After the band plays the intro music the Narrator appears and addresses the audience. He makes an impassioned statement that we are living in a crisis. He invites the audience to take a look at the world today through the lens of Sleepy Doormat, who is then shown sitting and playing video games. The Narrator takes the audience back in time to observe Sleepy's schooling, religious education, and the attitudes of his family/community.

Fast forward to adulthood. One day on his way home from work Sleepy is confronted by a radical activist selling a paper on the street. The activist tries his best to tell Sleepy about the great crisis that is happening.While Sleepy identifies with much of what this radical person tells him, he ultimately rejects it as out of hand, crazy, and cultish.

Sleepy goes home and engages in his favorite activity - mass consumption of lies through an orgy of media consumption. He falls asleep and enters the dream world. In his dream a group of archetypal female characters appear to him. They guide him through a series of meditations on core issues such as good & evil, subject & object, and the unconscious world. He wakes up with a fresh perspective and vows to sort out his inner emotional world and his relation to the world around him.

By vicariously experiencing the childhood indoctrination of Sleepy, observing his place in the present day world, and by traveling with him into the dream world, the audience will hopefully be exposed to some of their own emotional/intellectual positions regarding how free we really are in our thinking, speech, and day to day activities.

Hear what they're saying about Over The Line:

"If you love the theatrical rock inclinations of Peter Gabriel, Frank Zappa, The Tubes, Phish, Todd Rundgren, and Pink Floyd then this show is for you!" - Margaret Thatcher

"The best part of the show was that they had big puppets…I loved the puppets." - Kenny McCormick

"Viva Over The Line!" - Subcomandante Marcos

"The archetypes that this particular piece of so called 'music theatre' presents are dangerous and should not be messed with by unqualified dilettantes such as Mr. O'Connell." - C.G. Jung

"I was both terrified and excited by Over The Line. Nice job." - Mayor Tom Menino